Microsoft is gearing up to announce the successor to the Xbox 360 at E3 2012, and Crytek is already developing a new TimeSplitters game for the next generation of consoles, VideoGamer.com can reveal.

Specifications for the new machine have not been finalised, but Crytek is using Microsoft's DirectX 11 as the current basis for next-generation development. Tessellation, multithreaded rendering, and compute shaders are the three headlining features for DirectX 11.

The Crysis 2 developer says that Microsoft will announce the existence of a new Xbox within the next 12 months, hinting that an E3 2012 reveal is likely. Crytek believes that Microsoft will announce and launch its new machine ahead of rival Sony, though the developer is also investing resources into next-generation PlayStation development.

The information was detailed to VideoGamer.com by a high-ranking industry source at Crytek, who stated that TimeSplitters 4 is currently being demonstrated internally, is being built with CryEngine 3, and was being shown privately in video form at E3 2011.

Crytek UK, who produced the other three games in the series as Free Radical, is still handling the development.

Both Microsoft and Crytek declined to comment.

The source reports that the graphics on TimeSplitters 4 are noticeably improved over current generation technology, with the DX11 tessellation effects allegedly having a huge impact on the visuals. Crytek believes that the game - and CryEngine 3 itself - will be seen as the cornerstone of next-generation development.

Crytek has invested heavily in DirectX 11 development primarily to focus on the new consoles, with the upcoming DX11 patch for the PC version of Crysis 2 being used internally as a benchmark of anticipated hardware trends.

As for the game itself, the new TimeSplitters is reported to focus on the series' branching paths and exploratory nature, with sandbox-style gameplay elements a big priority. The current goal is for levels to feature multiple routes that lead to the same overall conclusion.

Speculation about TimeSplitters 4 has been running since 2007. Since its initial announcement the game was even pegged to be a Wii-exclusive before languishing in development hell and being put on hiatus in 2009.

What does this mean for Halo 4, then, which was stated as an Xbox 360 game during its E3 2011 reveal?

so 2012 reveal,2013 launch?....and if it lasts for as long as the current Xbxo 360,then it could be at least 2020 when we see the xbox after that,unless some new fangled space aged gaming platform hasn't taken over the world that we all play on

and my concern is still hoping MS are not jumping the gun because of the Wii U announcement..and god help SONY if they jump the gun as well over this 'announcement'....damn you Nintendo

Not to mention that a 2012 Fall release for a new Xbox would hardly be jumping the gun considering that's 7 years after the release of the 360. A 5-6 year life cycle was fairly standard until this gen. Sony and MS releasing expensive bleeding edge consoles with Nintendo releasing a behind the curve machine that's gone on to be the number 1 seller, no doubt has something to do with cycle changes.

I'm so pumped about a new TS4 - loved TS2 and Future Perfect. I just hope Cyrtek includes the great splitscreen co-op and mplay that were in the previous 2 games.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor will be capable of graphical detail level with James Cameron's movie Avatar, according to hardware giant AMD.

Click to view larger image Speaking to Official Xbox Magazine US, director of ISV relationships at AMD, Neal Robison wouldn't outright confirm the tech firm's working on the new Xbox, but did state that gamers 'have a lot to be excited about'.

Robison claimed the A.I. and physics capabilities of the next-gen hardware will allow for every pedestrian in a game such as Grand Theft Auto to have a 'totally individual mentality,' meaning no more mob mentality - 'every NPC will actually be an individual character'.

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Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor will be capable of graphical detail level with James Cameron's movie Avatar, according to hardware giant AMD.

Click to view larger image Speaking to Official Xbox Magazine US, director of ISV relationships at AMD, Neal Robison wouldn't outright confirm the tech firm's working on the new Xbox, but did state that gamers 'have a lot to be excited about'.

Robison claimed the A.I. and physics capabilities of the next-gen hardware will allow for every pedestrian in a game such as Grand Theft Auto to have a 'totally individual mentality,' meaning no more mob mentality - 'every NPC will actually be an individual character'.

The bolded part pretty much proves that they're talking out of their asses. Each frame of CGI in a movie like Avatar can take hours to render for a very powerful computer, from what I understand. To even begin to pretend that the next Microsoft console will be able to do so in real time is just... well, let's just say that it's silly and leave it at that.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor will be capable of graphical detail level with James Cameron's movie Avatar, according to hardware giant AMD.

Click to view larger image Speaking to Official Xbox Magazine US, director of ISV relationships at AMD, Neal Robison wouldn't outright confirm the tech firm's working on the new Xbox, but did state that gamers 'have a lot to be excited about'.

Robison claimed the A.I. and physics capabilities of the next-gen hardware will allow for every pedestrian in a game such as Grand Theft Auto to have a 'totally individual mentality,' meaning no more mob mentality - 'every NPC will actually be an individual character'.

The bolded part pretty much proves that they're talking out of their asses. Each frame of CGI in a movie like Avatar can take hours to render for a very powerful computer, from what I understand. To even begin to pretend that the next Microsoft console will be able to do so in real time is just... well, let's just say that it's silly and leave it at that.

The quote doesn't appear to say anything about real-time rendering, so it "may" be technically correct.

If there's no disc drive in the next Xbox, there goes any hope for backwards compatibility.

While I buy all my multiplatform releases on the PS3, I still buy the 360 exclusives like GOW III and going forward it's going to be harder to justify $60+ on a game that may not even be compatible come next generation.

That's one of the biggest PC advantages - games you bought 15 years ago STILL work on the PC you just bought today.. no need for 4 different computers to play 4 different games.

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No drive means I wouldn't be buying it. May be moving to a more rural location at some point that does not have any sort of quality internet for a reasonable cost.

Quote

MCV has learnt that Microsoft has been telling partners that the Next Xbox will NOT include a disc drive.

The briefings have been issued under what MCV’s source describes as “the strictest NDA” they have ever encountered.

Although the console will not include a disc drive, it will offer compatibility with some sort of interchangeable solid-state card storage, although it is not known whether this will be proprietary or a more standard format such as SD.

Emphasis mine.

So basically, games may come on USB sticks or flash memory from B&M. Think of this for access times VS drive noise and failure rates of disk drives. I welcome this change - optical media is overrated (unless you're looking for resiliency from EMP attacks). The only concern I have is the "resale" value of the media - depending on if the games you buy get locked to your account.

Also, include means it doesn't COME WITH, not that there isn't the option. Look at their HD-DVD external drive. I'm sure they'll be offering a Xbox Next drive to play 360 games - they don't want developers counting on that drive being there for all customers and developing NEW games on the old platform.

Who knows, they may have Xbox Nexts' coming out in two different SKUs - one with a DVD/ BD drive, and one without at a reduced cost.

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

If there's no disc drive in the next Xbox, there goes any hope for backwards compatibility.

While I buy all my multiplatform releases on the PS3, I still buy the 360 exclusives like GOW III and going forward it's going to be harder to justify $60+ on a game that may not even be compatible come next generation.

That's one of the biggest PC advantages - games you bought 15 years ago STILL work on the PC you just bought today.. no need for 4 different computers to play 4 different games.

I beg to differ with you on that. There's a fair number of old games that simply weren't probably designed to take the faster speed of today's processors into account. For example try playing Sid Meier's version of Magic the Gathering and you'll discover that everything runs at hyper-speed and is completely unplayable. There are utilities that attempt to chew up enough processor time to slow things down to a playable rate, but they don't always work. There are also other games that do weird graphics calls that now crash your machine. Plus there are games that depend on various copy protection schemes that don't work anymore. And then there's the fact that I've got all these games on 3.5" disk and modern computers don't come with 3.5" disk drives anymore. In fact there are quite a few 15-year old games that don't work at all.

If there's no disc drive in the next Xbox, there goes any hope for backwards compatibility.

While I buy all my multiplatform releases on the PS3, I still buy the 360 exclusives like GOW III and going forward it's going to be harder to justify $60+ on a game that may not even be compatible come next generation.

That's one of the biggest PC advantages - games you bought 15 years ago STILL work on the PC you just bought today.. no need for 4 different computers to play 4 different games.

I beg to differ with you on that. There's a fair number of old games that simply weren't probably designed to take the faster speed of today's processors into account. For example try playing Sid Meier's version of Magic the Gathering and you'll discover that everything runs at hyper-speed and is completely unplayable. There are utilities that attempt to chew up enough processor time to slow things down to a playable rate, but they don't always work. There are also other games that do weird graphics calls that now crash your machine. Plus there are games that depend on various copy protection schemes that don't work anymore. And then there's the fact that I've got all these games on 3.5" disk and modern computers don't come with 3.5" disk drives anymore. In fact there are quite a few 15-year old games that don't work at all.

DosBox takes care of almost all of the problems you just mentioned as it runs Windows 3.1 these days. If DosBox won't fix it (or it's W95+), you can run a W95 VM on your VM of choice. And Floppy Drives are still around. Even the most problematic games to run on 20 year old machines (the Ultima games) run really well in DosBox. Arguably better than on the "real" hardware. If it's a copy protection problem, there's likely a solution for that as well...

More on topic, if the new Xbox doesn't come with an optical drive of some sort, I'll be surprised. Most people still lack a broadband connection fast enough to download a DVD in any sort of timeframe. Perhaps the generation after this one, maybe... It would be nice for it to have BluRay (just so I need one less box on my home theater), but I'm not anticipating it.

Beyond the availability and speed of broadband, the biggest problem with an all-download format is the fact that ISPs are cracking down on throttling users to a monthly bandwidth cap so even those who do have access to fast broadband have other concerns.

You'd be surprised how quickly your usage goes up when you are downloading games on Steam, watching movies on Netflix or Zune and TV on Hulu, etc. Then adding an all-download console to that as well and I think users will be in for a real shock when they keep hitting their cap.

my prediction which is the same prediction I have had for years is, no used games, games will be tied to the unit they are initally downloaded too ( they may be so so kind and allow you to assign two units per game) Used games are gonna be a thing of the past, the hardware and software companies make no money on them, so why should they continue to allow them? ( its always about the money) Second, I agree that downloading and so forth will have people hitting ISP user monthly caps so of course what does that mean? Well what's old is new again, they ( internet providers) will simply introduce a new tier of usage ( the media user tier and charge you 75 bucks a month instead of the current 50) money money money.

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my prediction which is the same prediction I have had for years is, no used games, games will be tied to the unit they are initally downloaded too ( they may be so so kind and allow you to assign two units per game) Used games are gonna be a thing of the past, the hardware and software companies make no money on them, so why should they continue to allow them? ( its always about the money) Second, I agree that downloading and so forth will have people hitting ISP user monthly caps so of course what does that mean? Well what's old is new again, they ( internet providers) will simply introduce a new tier of usage ( the media user tier and charge you 75 bucks a month instead of the current 50) money money money.

Download only was tried with the PSP Go and it failed (hence the Memory Stick back into the Vita). Not to mention, if XBLA games don't work on the new console for any reason it will further kill adoption of download only. XBLA and Steam are a good indication on how it would work, with games bound to a GamerTag or account, not a console/specific hardware.

Going download only would also kill the $60 price point. Downloadable only works with Steam/phones because the price point is kept low. Steam is always running 50-75% off on games making them $10 or less and iOS/Android apps are almost always sub $10 (usually $5 or less). XBLA games are consistently $20 or less, with many going for $10. People have grown accustomed to download only meaning a much lower price.

Vita games are 10% off for download. So $45 vs $50. While that seems like a weak discount to me, I'd be interested to see the numbers.

To me, the bigger issue is with hard drive space. Those games fill up a console pretty damned quickly, and they're just going to get bigger. So, until we get into streaming gaming* or a scenario where it takes me as long to download and install a game as it would to put a disc in the drive, I'm not going to be behind this.

*OnLive does this reasonably well, actually, but not at a point where the big boys would be happy doing it yet.

"While we appreciate all the interest in our long-range plans for the future, we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon. For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360-and it's the best year ever for Xbox 360. The console is coming off its biggest year ever-a year in which Xbox outsold all other consoles worldwide. Xbox 360 didn't just outsell other consoles, it also outsold all other TV-connected devices like DVD players, as well as digital media receivers and home theatre systems. And in our seventh year, we sold more consoles than in any other year-defying convention.

This year, we will build on that Xbox 360 momentum. With "Halo 4," "Forza Horizon," "Fable: The Journey," and other great Kinect games on the way, our 2012 Xbox lineup is our strongest ever. This year, we will deliver more TV, music, and movie experiences for Xbox 360-as we'll make it even easier to find and control your all entertainment. And this year, Xbox games, music, and video are coming to Windows 8 so people can enjoy their Xbox entertainment wherever they go."

I personally am not bothered that the new Xbox is not yet upon us,but as long as they have some surprises planned for E3,I would like to see some new IPs Microsoft!!...now that Gears is out of the way,its just Fable,Halo,Forza,Fable,Halo,Forza,Fable,Halo and Forza

IMO,MS have been mighty shit disappointing compared to Nintendo and Sony at the last few years E3...i was hoping that this year would be different

Yeah, for the last few years they have been far too focused on crappy Kinect games and wringing out the last drops from the few IPs they have than on establishing new good, core IPs.

And transitioning the 360 to a media box. It's my primary streaming box for the house. I probably watch Netflix on it more than I play games on it.

The only way I see MS introducing a new box this year is if Sony announces first. The 360 is still selling pretty well, no need for them to rock the boat. That's not to say they don't have the next gen underway, just that I would expect their announcement to come after Sony's...

could we see an Xbox Lite before the next full blown iteration of the system?

The meat of the rumor is that MS is launching an AppleTV style media player. Tossing 'Xbox' onto it is just to drive page views... Not to mention, the "source" is an anonymous blogger that posted this on Reddit.

Zune hasn't been successful enough for them to create a streaming box around it a la AppleTV and I don't think they would want to compete with Roku/Boxee/All the streaming boxes out there now because it's even lower cost. A Roku is $50, $60 if you want a Roku 2 and most of the clones are available for $70-$80 or less. This move doesn't make any sense and doesn't seem to fit with their current strategy. That is, positioning the 360 as a home entertainment box. It's the "One Box to Rule Them All" approach that seems to be working currently.

I've got a better, more realistic rumor I'm starting right now. The next Xbox will be released at some point in the next 24-36 months, contain an optical drive (DVD, BluRay is unlikely though not impossible) and a hard drive (250GB+), bundled with a Kinect 2.0 (based on the Kinect for Windows improvements), will be based on the 360 with updated hardware (faster or more cores CPU/updated AMD GPU and 1GB RAM) making it 100% backwards compatible all for $400. Done, send it out to Joystiq/Kotaku/Giant Bomb, etc.

could we see an Xbox Lite before the next full blown iteration of the system?

The meat of the rumor is that MS is launching an AppleTV style media player. Tossing 'Xbox' onto it is just to drive page views... Not to mention, the "source" is an anonymous blogger that posted this on Reddit.

Zune hasn't been successful enough for them to create a streaming box around it a la AppleTV and I don't think they would want to compete with Roku/Boxee/All the streaming boxes out there now because it's even lower cost. A Roku is $50, $60 if you want a Roku 2 and most of the clones are available for $70-$80 or less. This move doesn't make any sense and doesn't seem to fit with their current strategy. That is, positioning the 360 as a home entertainment box. It's the "One Box to Rule Them All" approach that seems to be working currently.

I've got a better, more realistic rumor I'm starting right now. The next Xbox will be released at some point in the next 24-36 months, contain an optical drive (DVD, BluRay is unlikely though not impossible) and a hard drive (250GB+), bundled with a Kinect 2.0 (based on the Kinect for Windows improvements), will be based on the 360 with updated hardware (faster or more cores CPU/updated AMD GPU and 1GB RAM) making it 100% backwards compatible all for $400. Done, send it out to Joystiq/Kotaku/Giant Bomb, etc.

I don't agree. This makes sense for them. They've already lined up a ton of partners Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go just to name a small few. Acquiring them has clearly been a huge focus for them. They've also got a lot more name recognition with Xbox branding than Roku and Boxee to the general public. Maybe not Apple, but that hasn't been Apple's focus at all.

These other guys have also been experimenting with tossing casual gaming into the mix. MS already has a huge leg up in that department, too.

There's been talk for awhile about Microsoft wanting to replace the cable box in your home. Frankly, they could make a killing on this, if it's handled well.

I don't agree. This makes sense for them. They've already lined up a ton of partners Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go just to name a small few. Acquiring them has clearly been a huge focus for them. They've also got a lot more name recognition with Xbox branding than Roku and Boxee to the general public. Maybe not Apple, but that hasn't been Apple's focus at all.

These other guys have also been experimenting with tossing casual gaming into the mix. MS already has a huge leg up in that department, too.

There's been talk for awhile about Microsoft wanting to replace the cable box in your home. Frankly, they could make a killing on this, if it's handled well.

Magnavox has a streaming box at my Target for $70 along with a Sony box for $70. Both boxes support Netflix and Hulu. They're commodity boxes, esp. with the low price of SoC chips. It's a much more competitive market than the console market with a remarkably low barrier to entry. Even with Xbox branding, which would dilute the brand as a gaming brand, you'd have to sell one for $70 to $100 max to be competitive. On top of this, they can't use existing XBLA games because it would be ARM based (according to the rumor) and they can't use the WP7 market (which is ARM based) because it wouldn't support touch. You'd have to create a third marketplace for apps/games and then get 3rd party developers to develop and test on the platform.

I'm still saying it doesn't make sense when the 360 is still selling well. They already have the potential market of the rumored box buying 360s.

As to the cable box, they already are. Microsoft's cable box is called Mediaroom. My cable box on U-Verse runs version 2.0 of their software. It's actually a really, really good box, but there is zero Microsoft branding outside of the Legal page that's buried in the menus. If I didn't already know it was MS software, I would have no clue. I can actually use my 360 as a STB if I pay $100 for a HPNA dongle for the 360.

I don't agree. This makes sense for them. They've already lined up a ton of partners Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go just to name a small few. Acquiring them has clearly been a huge focus for them. They've also got a lot more name recognition with Xbox branding than Roku and Boxee to the general public. Maybe not Apple, but that hasn't been Apple's focus at all.

These other guys have also been experimenting with tossing casual gaming into the mix. MS already has a huge leg up in that department, too.

There's been talk for awhile about Microsoft wanting to replace the cable box in your home. Frankly, they could make a killing on this, if it's handled well.

Magnavox has a streaming box at my Target for $70 along with a Sony box for $70. Both boxes support Netflix and Hulu. They're commodity boxes, esp. with the low price of SoC chips. It's a much more competitive market than the console market with a remarkably low barrier to entry. Even with Xbox branding, which would dilute the brand as a gaming brand, you'd have to sell one for $70 to $100 max to be competitive. On top of this, they can't use existing XBLA games because it would be ARM based (according to the rumor) and they can't use the WP7 market (which is ARM based) because it wouldn't support touch. You'd have to create a third marketplace for apps/games and then get 3rd party developers to develop and test on the platform.

I'm still saying it doesn't make sense when the 360 is still selling well. They already have the potential market of the rumored box buying 360s.

As to the cable box, they already are. Microsoft's cable box is called Mediaroom. My cable box on U-Verse runs version 2.0 of their software. It's actually a really, really good box, but there is zero Microsoft branding outside of the Legal page that's buried in the menus. If I didn't already know it was MS software, I would have no clue. I can actually use my 360 as a STB if I pay $100 for a HPNA dongle for the 360.

First of all, I don't think it will dillute the brand. Obviously, they'd have to come up with something other than just "XBox".

Secondly, the brand would only help in a marketplace that most consumers are completely unaware exists.

Thirdly, as you say, they've already got the software in place. They can make a lot more than just licensing fees if they're running on their own hardware. And how is a $70 price point an issue?

As for gaming, even if it's ARM based, if MS has been smart in their purchasing, it's just a matter of conversion. MS is putting Windows 8 on tablets later this year, and there will be a few that are using ARM. There will be many more that are not. The apps have to run on both. I understand that a box like we're talking about wouldn't likely be using touch, but there are many games that could work. All I'm saying is, the precedent has been set for gaming on these devices, and I believe MS could up the ante there if they desired. And why not?

And the tablets would certainly benefit from a device connected to the TV, wouldn't it? AppleTV does some cool stuff with the iPad, though not as much as it could, from what I understand. The tablet market and the 360 market have spillover, but there's a huge group of people who would have a tablet and not a 360, but might like some connectivity.

I'm not saying this rumor is true (the source isn't very strong). I'm just saying it's not as ridiculous as you seem to think.

I'm not saying this rumor is true (the source isn't very strong). I'm just saying it's not as ridiculous as you seem to think.

Yes, they have the ability to do it technologically. But, why would they want to in a business sense? What is MS going to bring that their competitors don't already have that consumers actually want? MS is already positioning the 360 in this space, but they're charging an annual fee to do it (all the streaming apps require Gold). Why would I give up the Gold annual fee for this low cost box? If I keep charging for Gold, now I'm more expensive than my competition in a price sensitive market and I can't depend on the Zune market to makeup the difference. This is excluding the fact I can pickup a 360 for $130, $150 for a refurb 20GB Pro unit. A little more money than this rumored box and I can play 360/XBLA games without having to incur the cost of a new incompatible marketplace. It still doesn't make any business sense for them to do it.

I also think you're giving Roku and it's clones too little credit. When I can walk into a Target and buy one, it's a mainstream consumer electronic device. I don't think most consumers are completely unaware it exists, it's actually saturated market because many things in this space already serve the need. I don't have to buy a Roku box, I can stream straight from my TV or BluRay player. People are going to stream from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube, etc. These are already on most boxes you can buy for the living room. I only own a Roku because it's WiFi and was cheaper than the WiFi addon for my TV in the room I have it in.

I'm not saying this rumor is true (the source isn't very strong). I'm just saying it's not as ridiculous as you seem to think.

Yes, they have the ability to do it technologically. But, why would they want to in a business sense? What is MS going to bring that their competitors don't already have that consumers actually want? MS is already positioning the 360 in this space, but they're charging an annual fee to do it (all the streaming apps require Gold). Why would I give up the Gold annual fee for this low cost box? If I keep charging for Gold, now I'm more expensive than my competition in a price sensitive market and I can't depend on the Zune market to makeup the difference. This is excluding the fact I can pickup a 360 for $130, $150 for a refurb 20GB Pro unit. A little more money than this rumored box and I can play 360/XBLA games without having to incur the cost of a new incompatible marketplace. It still doesn't make any business sense for them to do it.

I also think you're giving Roku and it's clones too little credit. When I can walk into a Target and buy one, it's a mainstream consumer electronic device. I don't think most consumers are completely unaware it exists, it's actually saturated market because many things in this space already serve the need. I don't have to buy a Roku box, I can stream straight from my TV or BluRay player. People are going to stream from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube, etc. These are already on most boxes you can buy for the living room. I only own a Roku because it's WiFi and was cheaper than the WiFi addon for my TV in the room I have it in.

If this device exists, I don't think it's going after the 360 crowd at all. I don't think the price difference to just go for a 360 and play all the games is going to make a difference to the people this would target. These folks would want something that works with their shiny new tablet, maybe, and play all the different movie apps and some casual games.

You already know about these set top boxes. If you go out on the street and ask people "Do you know what a Roku box is" and also ask "Do you know what an Xbox is", I think the former would be maybe 2/10 and the latter would be 8/10. I consider myself at least above average in my electronics knowledge, for example, not an expert, by any means, but I have an idea of what's out there. Until Fall of last year, I hadn't heard of Roku or Boxee at all. I knew about AppleTV and GoogleTV, but those seemed pointless. Which is kind of the point, I think. People don't know what to do with these boxes, so they don't pay them much mind.

If Microsoft can shift what they are already doing into a more focused box and show people the value of it, the market could explode. Hell, if anyone can do that, they'll take over a still very young market.

Hell, if anyone can do that, they'll take over a still very young market.

It's not a very young market, it's fairly well established at this point. The Roku was introduced in 2008, the Boxee Box in 2010 (Boxee predates that back to 2007) and Apple TV in 2007. Apple TV is arguably an extension of the Mac mini (2005). The form factor (hockey puck sized) and basic streaming offerings (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon) have kinda been standardized. Don't get me wrong, adding games is new. But, there is little evidence this is moving units (e.g., it's not being demanded). The boxes are tightly focused on streaming media to a TV or selling you media/apps from the iTunes store at a low cost.

Hell, if anyone can do that, they'll take over a still very young market.

It's not a very young market, it's fairly well established at this point. The Roku was introduced in 2008, the Boxee Box in 2010 (Boxee predates that back to 2007) and Apple TV in 2007. Apple TV is arguably an extension of the Mac mini (2005). The form factor (hockey puck sized) and basic streaming offerings (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon) have kinda been standardized. Don't get me wrong, adding games is new. But, there is little evidence this is moving units (e.g., it's not being demanded). The boxes are tightly focused on streaming media to a TV or selling you media/apps from the iTunes store at a low cost.

I'm not talking "young" in terms of age. It's very young in terms of overall impact in the marketplace. Roku sold 2.5 million to date as of the start of the year. Last year, something close to 250 million HDTVs were sold. It's a very young market with a whole lot of growth still to go.

I am always connected to the Internet when my 360 goes on,but i would imagine this would be a problem for some people(my sister for one)...can't imagine the launch price if all this turns out to be true though

I am always connected to the Internet when my 360 goes on,but i would imagine this would be a problem for some people(my sister for one)...can't imagine the launch price if all this turns out to be true though

The 2 GPUs is complete BS. SLI has problems on PC, I can't see the added complexity being worth it. If a single 680 can run the UE Samaritan demo, it would be much cheaper to just put a single 680 (or 7970) in it than the added complexity/cost of SLI.

They could do the same as Intel and just create a double core Xenon part which would give them 6 physical cores (12 logical). I'd be shocked to hear a move away from Xenon... And doesn't the Kinect already have a co-processor of some kind in it?

I can see Kinect 2.0 being bundled in all packages. It's getting harder to find a 360 without a Kinect in stores.

It's not going to require always on internet. They want to reach the widest audience possible and this runs counter to that. Even game companies are avoiding this unless they have a specific need for it. Ubisoft has proven that it is remarkably unpopular.